New To The Fold......

[Ross_Mk2]

Hello to everyone!! :cheers
 
I\'m new here and am looking for advice! I have not got an RX-7 as yet but was very very close to handing over some money the weekend and managed to take a step back and say "Ross hang on a sec, you know nothing about these cars and its gonna be nothing like fixing your Mk2 Astra now is it" so thats why i am here, to hopefully learn all i need to know about what to look for and what i could be facing in buying into this beatiful motor, as at the minute an RX-7 is the only type of car i fancy a go at!
 
Any help you guys are willing to hand me would be much appreciated!
 
First question on the end of my tounge when i expect you guys get all teh time...... engine rebuilds! Is it really such a big draw back and what kind of prices are we talking? Also i think i understand the 1st 2nd & 3rd generation bit, its a 3rd i was looking at but i heard somewhere something like an FD and FB..... what are those? There i think thats enough to get the ball rolling!
 
Thanks again!

[chrisBoid]

Hi and welcome Ross.

Some quick answers: -

FB = 1st Gen RX-7
FC = 2nd Gen RX-7
FD = 3rd Gen RX-7

Rebuilds are always a contentious issue.  Assuming you start with a good example, keep it relatively stock and you\'ll have no worries (depending on mileage obviously).  Stress the engine with more serious modding and it will expire quicker.  A stock rebuild is about £3k all in - which depends on damage to existing parts.

The UK market is flooded with poor RX\'s - I\'d still go the route of using a specialist importer.

It\'s worth browsing each sub-forum and looking at the stickied threads as they contain a load of great information that will answer many of your questions.

A guiding reminder for you - you get what you pay for.

[Matt_K]

FD = 3rd gen FC = 2nd Gen FB = 1st gen

Rebuilds arent so much of a drawback, more of a interesting feature. haha alot of people are lucky and in their time of RX ownership never need a rebuild.. some aren\'t

Expect to pay £3K ish for a professional rebuild. less if you DIY it, more if you want other bits done, have it ported, go single turbo, etc. I\'m still new to the world of rotary myself so i\'m sure the more experienced guys will be along shortly to flame me

[Ross_Mk2]

The garage close to me is where i saw the one i wanted, they are importers but i just don\'t know if i trust them, if you know what i mean as to the history of the car etc....
 
Then i have already seen 1 car for sale here that really takes my fancy! The only thing going for the Importers, is they offer finance
 
Is there anyway to tell a poor RX?
 
EDT: Ahhh that was another question on my mind! Whats the difference with the 1.3 and the 2.6 and the single or twin turbo? Are they model specific?

[sadgoth]

all FC and FD (2nd & 3rd Gens) are 1.3 litre engines (the 13B engine code relates to the 1308cc) however the DVLA insist on taxing them as 2.6l (as the actual engine size doesn\'t equate to a similar sized piston engine), some people have managed to get their cars registered as 1.3l which is nice!

All FDs came as twin sequential turbos as standard many have been modified and converted to bigger single turbos - less vacuum piping issues more power but a lot more laggy on the whole. FCs were all single turbo.

Poor RX? ALWAYS have a compression test done on the engine first, this will give you 3 reading on each rotor one for each rotor face (six in total) all readingins should be similar if one is dramatically different it would imply a damaged apex, side or corner seal. Good compression readings are anything above about a 6.3 across all faces a newly rebuilt block should be reading high 7s to low 8s.

Oil should be regularly changed and the car should NEVER be allowed to overheat, heat kills rotarys.

[Ross_Mk2]

all FC and FD (2nd & 3rd Gens) are 1.3 litre engines (the 13B engine code relates to the 1308cc) however the DVLA insist on taxing them as 2.6l (as the actual engine size doesn\'t equate to a similar sized piston engine), some people have managed to get their cars registered as 1.3l which is nice!
 
All FDs came as twin sequential turbos as standard many have been modified and converted to bigger single turbos - less vacuum piping issues more power but a lot more laggy on the whole. FCs were all single turbo.
 
Poor RX? ALWAYS have a compression test done on the engine first, this will give you 3 reading on each rotor one for each rotor face (six in total) all readingins should be similar if one is dramatically different it would imply a damaged apex, side or corner seal. Good compression readings are anything above about a 6.3 across all faces a newly rebuilt block should be reading high 7s to low 8s.
 
Oil should be regularly changed and the car should NEVER be allowed to overheat, heat kills rotarys.

Ahhhh thanks for the info! So if the comp. test comes back ok, the engine is ok?
 
Also these engine are capable of cooling themselves aren\'t they i mean with a rad and the like.... your scaring me even more now if i get stuck in traffic

[Bulla]

Welcome to the forum Ross. What kind of budget do you have and are you looking for a standard or modded car ?

Bulla

[Ross_Mk2]

Budget!!! Well tbh mate the RX-7 looks beautiful as standard! A few suttle mods the the exterior will do me the engine can be standard/ish as then its more reliable and they are quick enough as they are! Interloper393 i think is my perfect car!

[Bulla]

You might be best of looking for a car with a recent rebuild then as they can be picked up for reasonable money, just make sure you find out where the rebuild has been done before you part with your cash, and if any warranty is still valid. Not sure if there are any in the For Sale section at the moment but it might help to bu a car that is known on the forum.

Good luck

Bulla

[Ross_Mk2]

Your right, good thing i have took a likeing to Interloper\'s!

[sadgoth]

Ahhhh thanks for the info! So if the comp. test comes back ok, the engine is ok?
 
Also these engine are capable of cooling themselves aren\'t they i mean with a rad and the like.... your scaring me even more now if i get stuck in traffic

yes they are indeed capable of cooling themselves, just make sure the rad and cooling system is in good nick!

There is no way of totally guaranteeing the condition of the engine, a comp test doesn\'t show the condition of the water seals for example. The biggest problem we seem to find with cars that have unknown histories is that the antifreeze used may not have enough corrosion inhibitor as such the plates can corrode around the water seals leading to water seal failure. Saying that checking over the general overall condition of the engine and ancillaries and buying from an enthusiast who has looked after the car should mean you have as good a car as possible.

Remember most of these cars are 10-15 years old so they will have the odd issue.

[Ross_Mk2]

Remember most of these cars are 10-15 years old so they will have the odd issue.

I know all about this...... other than my new found love for the RX-7 i am an Astra Mk2 man at heart! Only difference being i am quite capable of fixing and knowing all my way around the astra i am not so sure about these animals! :Thumbsup!

[sadgoth]

They are actually quite easy to maintain, the rotary engine is simpler - less moving parts

[Warthog]

Ross, take a day off and join us down at Santa Pod on Sunday 24th June At The Japshow. There will be about 40-50 RX7\'s parked up on the MRC stand. You will be able to have a good look at many different styles of bodykits and engine layouts from standards to supercar killers. Our stand is near the finish line restaurant & shop area. HTH. See you there.:cool

[nikp]

Remember most of these cars are 10-15 years old so they will have the odd issue.

I have less issues with my FD than I have had with any other car! Bar the engine requiring the standard rebuild, it\'s been the most reliable car i\'ve owned!